03 Apr
Question
Supporting Musicians

The question session, centered on the support for musicians, saw significant engagement from diverse members of the House. The discussions veered around financial stability for grassroots venues, cross-European touring difficulties, and resale ticket pricing issues. The Minister reiterated his commitment to ensuring better support and financial backing for small music venues through a voluntary levy on arena gigs.

Venue Support: The session opened with a focus on the precarious financial situation of grassroots music venues. Lewis Atkinson (Labour), representing Sunderland Central, highlighted the cultural importance of venues like the Bunker and Independent. The Minister promised expediency in implementing the voluntary levy to fund small venues, indicating that millions could be directed towards these efforts.

No UK artist in the world top 10 since 2003

Highlight of the impact of EU touring restrictions on UK artists.

EU Touring Issues: Pete Wishart (SNP) broached the topic of touring restrictions that impact UK artists' earnings and influence abroad, especially in the EU—a situation unprecedented since 2003. The Minister assured efforts to reinstate touring ease, noting upcoming discussions to potentially reinvigorate UK artists' international presence.

April 4

End date for the government's consultation on ticket resale pricing.

Ticket Pricing: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrats) tackled the controversial topic of exorbitant resale ticket prices, invoking the public outrage over recent experiences with Oasis concerts. The ongoing consultation seeks to evaluate resale at face value or with restricted mark-ups, highlighting the Government's accountability in upholding fair practices.

Outcome

Government commitments and next steps:

  • Voluntary Levy: An expedited timeline was promised to provide critical financial support to grassroots venues.
  • EU Touring Access: Upcoming negotiations aim to facilitate smoother touring opportunities for UK artists across Europe.
  • Ticket Resale Consultation: A government conclusion is pending based on the consultation that closes on April 4, reflecting public sentiment on resale value restrictions.

Key Contributions

Lewis Atkinson
Labour

Highlighted the importance of financial support for grassroots music venues in Sunderland, such as the Bunker, Independent, and Pop Recs.

Chris Bryant

Expressed the desire for widespread musical involvement among children and financial viability for musicians.

Pete Wishart
SNP

Raised concerns about EU access for UK artists, emphasizing the historical chart absence.

Original Transcript
Lewis Atkinson
Sunderland Central
Lab
Question
UIN: 903599

5. What steps she is taking to support musicians.

The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism
Chris Bryant
09:30

I want every child to have a chance to learn how to play a musical instrument or take part in music, and I want every musician to be able to make a living out of their career.

I am working on better support for small venues across the UK and better remuneration for legacy artists, songwriters and session musicians.

Lewis Atkinson
09:30

Sunderland is a music city, and key to that are our great grassroots venues such as the Bunker, Independent and Pop Recs. But venues like those across the country operate on a financially precarious basis.

Will the Minister update the House on how he will monitor the implementation of the voluntary levy on arena and stadium gigs, so that it can rapidly provide financial support to venues like those in my constituency?

Chris Bryant
09:30

The Bunker looks absolutely amazing. It is a not-for-profit organisation—apart from anything else—that gives young people and others an opportunity to learn how to play, perform and record.

That is precisely the kind of venue we want to be able to support, which is why I am determined to get this voluntary levy over the line as soon as possible, so we can put millions of pounds into small venues. The last time I was in Sunderland was for P!nk at the Stadium of Light.

Perhaps a helpful line from her is: “What about all the plans that ended in disaster?” I am determined that that is not going to be one of them.

Chris Bryant

The hon. Member makes a good point—obviously, we need more songs from Runrig to get us back to the top of the charts. To make a serious point, it is absolutely essential for new and emerging artists in particular that they have the opportunity to tour across the whole of Europe.

I am determined to get this over the line. It is one of the things that we need to renegotiate with the European Union. We have a key meeting coming up in the next few weeks, and I hope we will be able to make some progress.

Mr Speaker
09:30

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

Max Wilkinson
Cheltenham
LD
09:30

Music fans were left outraged last summer by rip-off prices for Oasis tickets. Many paid hundreds of pounds over resale value to access the concerts they wanted to get to as dedicated fans. Liberal Democrats are calling for an outright ban on resales above face value.

At the moment, it seems the Government are “Half the World Away” from a solution. When the Ministers answer, “Whatever” they say, please promise me that the answer to whether we will have a ban above resale value is not “Definitely Maybe”?

Chris Bryant

As the hon. Member knows perfectly well, a consultation is ongoing and will close on 4 April. It was a manifesto commitment of ours to ensure that the secondary ticketing market works for everybody.

If someone is not able to turn up to a gig for whatever reason—family reasons, a funeral or whatever—they should be able to sell the ticket on. We have asked specifically whether people should only be able to sell it at face value or face value plus 10%, 20% or 30%.

I note his response to the consultation. I hope he has responded to all the other issues in the consultation as well.

All content derived from official parliamentary records